In the gaming business, casinos are subject to continuous operation, (commonly operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week). Current gaming machine art and operations dictate that casinos constantly monitor the amount of coins in a hopper of a gaming or slot machine. When the hopper reaches a low or empty condition, an attendant must service the machine and replenish the coins in the hopper. Such servicing usually interferes with the patron""s ability to play the slot machine. Because the revenue generated by a gaming machine is related to the amount of time patrons are playing, any interruption in operation impacts revenues. Further, taking a machine out of service while a patron is utilizing it may discourage the patron and cause them to stop using the machine all together. Thus, there is a need for a casino to be appraised of which gaming machines require refilling and to refill hoppers in the least intrusive manner possible, thereby increasing the utility and availability of the gaming machine to its patrons.
Disclosed is an apparatus for detecting when a coin hopper in a gaming machine is low on coins and alerting the operator that service is required. An exemplary embodiment employs a system, which includes a probe for detecting the coin level and providing a signal to a detection circuit, and a circuit that receives the probe signal for determination of the low coin hopper condition. The circuit also provides a signal for illuminating an enunciator to inform the operator of the status of the gaming machine; and a signal to inform a central computer system of the status of the gaming machine.